Composite gem



Oct. l, 1929. H. H. WELCH COMPOSI'I'B GEH Fi1ed Nov. 22. 1924 ATTORNEY Patented- Ost. 1, 1929 HOBAGE H. WELOH, OI NEW YORK, N. Y.

OOMPOSI'LE GEH Applioation flled. November 22, 1924. Serial Rio. 751,483.

This invention relates to improvements in composite gems of the type of my prir Patent 1,421,329, granted to me 27 June, 1922, and of my application Serial N0. 733,472, filed 22 August, 1924, showing a composite gem substantially like that herein disclosed save for the improvements recited in the claims hereof. The invention also can be employed in connection with the composite cm of my application, S. N. 71,312, filed 28 1925, as a division of the above application.

The object of the invention is to improve the appearance and enhance the beauty 0f gems of my compoSite type.

The invention resides principally in the provision of transparent spacing means'between the several units of the group of small gems. Incidentally, the invention results in a decrease of cost cf my composite gem.

The principal features of the invention are shown in Figs. 7-9, the remaining figures illustrating the steps in manufacture which are disclosed for the purpose of guiding the constructor in making the composite gem to include the present invention.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 1s a vertical section of'a blank for the transparent housing of the composite gern;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section like Fig. 1 but in addition showing in place, in the 10Wer part of the housing, the solid interior parts of the composite gern;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section like' Figs. 1-2 but showing in addition the contraction of the neck of the housing preliminary to the formation 0f the smaller or bubble housing;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section o f the lo wer part of Fig. 3, but showing liquid therein and also showing the result of drawing and breaking ofi the waste upper portion of the tube of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a, section showing the result of sealing ofi the housing bulb and. also illustrating the increased Over-all Space occupied by the group of gems 199 due to the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showirig the 50 result of aflixing a suitable jewel setting to ovember,

the -bubble housing of the completed compos1te gzem of Fig. 5;

F1g is a view in elevation showing the complete assembly of Fig. 6, and indicating the efi'ect of the invention in further increas- 1ng the volum e occupied by the small gems vyhe n they have been set m motion in the l1qgnd 1nside the gern housing.

1g. is a vertical section showin in dott ed lmes the transparent solid parts of the mvention whicharelocated in the liquid 1ns1de thegem housin the visible solid parts be1ng om1tted here or clearness, although shown in Fig. 9; and

Fig. 9 is a vertical section showin the Y1sible solid parts or gems 199 in the liquid 1n the housing, the spaces S between such vlslble parts eing intended to be shown xnore or less in correspondence with the 100at1on of the transparent and preferably invisible parts S indicated in Fig. 8.

While the inveritionhere is illustrated as embodied in a pendant jewel (Figs. 6 and 7), yet the composite gern itself hereof may be embodied in other forms of jewelry, such as fin er rings, etc.

n order to underStahd the nature of the grmcipal invention hereof, first consider igs. 8 and 9, and particularly the lower portion or gern housing 14 of each, Wher.ein 14 is a more er lass or quite transparent and preferably colorless .hollow housing as of glass such as the well-known pyrex glass; and inside of housing 14 is a body 15A of preferably similar transparency, and 00101- lessness but preferably one which is a liquid at ordinary temperatures, such 'as glycerine.

As shown, housing 14 is preferably globular 7 er of other configuration involving lens curvatures. Small fragments or pieces of gems 199, preferably opalS,partiall fill gemhousing 14 and are mobile in liqui 15A, the

gems 199 beim substantially large in number and constitutmg a group incl uding some gems on the outside of the group andsome inside of the group. The gems preferably are so loosely housed as to permit their mobility in liquid 15A The value in general of the composite gern hereof, aside from its practical and durable construction, resides largs proportion of such space shall appesir,

especially when gems 199 are in motion (Fig. 7), to be substantially a unitary gern although exhibiting the interesting phenomenon of having apparently moving parts, whereas in fact it is an over-all solid body. The interior parts actually are mobile, although the impression on the observer may be only that of an illusion of motion. This composite gern may be as large as that shown, laut usually is considerably smaller und corresponding generally with the sizes of gems usually employed in jewelry. The number of small gems 199 inside housing 14 may be, say, a hundred more o1 less, und their average diameter may be 011- eighth o f an inch more or less. Tl1e other solids S may be advantageously 0f about the same size ancl mass, although prefcra'bly less in number.

As disolosed in my said prior a plication, when gems 199 are in motion, alle iquid 15A separates them from one another, thereby exposing to view more reflecting surfacss 0f more of the small gems, resulting m enhancing the. beauty of the composite gem as a whole.

I have founcl that the more widely rhe gems 199 are sepmted fromm one another (up to the limit of exposing to view maximum surfaces of a maximum number of small genau 199, including those located centrally in the gem-group and otherwise obscure-d bythose lying outside 0f the center in the group) the more beautiful Will be the appearance 0f the composite gem.as a whole; this as distinguished from the greatly inferior appearance of a Iriere aggregation of gems 199 lying in fixed positons in a close oompact mass and exposing to view only the reflecting surfaces 0f those of the small gems which lie 011 the outside of such compact group.

In the practice of thopresent invention, gems 199 clo in fact lie in such fixed positions ina compact group (due to gravity) except when the individual small gems have been set,iu inotion; and even when they are in motion, they a1e not very Widely separated from one another even when loose in liquid, and they tend more o1 lass rapidly to return to fixed positions in such a compact group unless the forces tending to keep them in motion are continued.

By the present invention, the gems 199 remain permanently in more or lass separated positions even when not in motion, und when they are set in motion they are more widely separated from one another than heretofore. This result is obtained by means of the transgarent und preferably 1nvisible solid parts indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8.

F01 various reasons stated in my said prior applicafion, Iprefer to employ glycerine as the liquid 15A (particularly when the gems are opals) in which gems 199 are immersed as indicated in F ig. 9; and when glycerine is employed, then Parts S (Fig. 8) preferably are of pyrex glass because that is both transparent and also possesses substantially the same refractive index as glycerine, so that pyrex pieces S become inv1sible when immersed in and wetted by glycerine. Preferably also, housing 14 is of pyrex glass, especiallv when liquid 15A is glycerine and parts S are'of pyrex glass, so that all the elements 0f the composite gem save the small gems are transparent and colorless, and are substantiall v indistinguishable from one another, and their appearance as things separate from the small gems themselves is maskecl. the spzicers S in practice being substantially invisible und indistinguishable from the small gems.

As soon as pyrex arts S (Fig. 8) are immersed and wett-ed by the glycerine, they disappear from sight, either completely as substantially according t0 weather conioions, anal as long as they remain immers ad they cannot be seen in the glycerine 15A in gemhousing 14 by ordinary observation. Thus, when the invisible parts S are interminglecl With gems 199 inhousing 14., they serve to space gems 199 permanently always at least a nninimum distance apart from one anoth r even when the gems are not in motion. This static condition of'small gems 199 is indicated in Fig. 9, Where, also, theyare separated from one another by spaces (filled with invisible spacers S), which spaces correspond to solids S actually more or less filling such spaces laut invisible in glycerine 15A of Fig. 9. And when gems 199 are set in motion in liquid 15A, (Fig. 7) their spacing from one another is greatly increased (due to both spacers S and portions of tl1e liquid intervening between spacers S and gems 199) with rhe u'seful because beautiful efl'ect resulting from increasing the number of reflecting gem surfaces which are exposed t0 view, as will be described later in connection With Fig. 7. There may not be much, if any, difierence in numbors respectively of the visible and invisible solids S und 199. A very good and preferred relation is -that indicated somewhat diagrammatically in Figs. 8 und 9, where are shown in Fig. 8 twenty invisible solids S and in Fig. 9 thirty visible solids 199; that is, four invisible solids S to six of tl1e visible solicls 199,01 by volume approximately f0rty per cent of invisible solids S to sixty per cent of visible solide 199. Also there may be an even reater numbenof arts S than parts 199 a though in general it is best to have at least sonne excess of erts 199 over parts S. Any relation of num ers of S und 199 is very good up from, say, twenty-five per cent up toward fifty per cent ofparts S m proport1on to Parts 199; although the use of' even any of arts S is useful to e degree, because enhancing beauty to e degree, es will be described in connection with Fig. 7.

In the drawings which are sections (except Fi 7) is shown only one vertical leyer of sohds S and 199. But of course the mixture of visible (199) und invisible S) solids extends throughout the hollow glo ular interior of housing 14, save for the solid-free space filled only with liquid 15A, which space preferably is left in order to permit mobility of the small solid pieces in the 1i uid. The two kinds of solid p1eces are place in housing 14 (Fig. 2) prior tothe insertion of liquid 15A und prior t o the formation of the permanent hous1ng es in Figs. 3-5. In Figs 2 and 3 the small glass pieces S are shown in full l1nes, beceuse in that stage cf themenufacture they are visible, i. e., pr1or to the insertion of gly-' cerine 15A in housing 14, shown in Figs. 4-6 and 89, the liquid being present but not distinguishably visible in Fig. 7.

Preferably the display elements 199 and spacers S are not all of the same size and both preferably are raded in sizes from the largest t0 the smal est, the general order of size being as shown in the drawings in proportion t0 the rest of the structure. Thus ever after the initial intermingling 0f the various individual solids 199 and S of slightly difier ing sizes by motion in the liqu1d Fig. 7), there Will be a general tendency t0 t e meintenance of a substantially uniform distribution of individt1al specers S among and intermingled with the display elements 199, resulting in a substantially uniform difiusion of the latter. But in cases when the solid pieces are to have no motion in the liquid, the .intermingling 0f 199 and S is efiected eurefully during manufacture for permanent eflect. 1

Preferably, especially when gems 199 are opals, all the other elements sire substantially colorless, including gem-housing 14, the liquid 15A and the spacers S. Thus the errangement is adapted to give the best efiect to the brilliant colors refleeted from the surfaces of the opals 199, particularly under the additional conditions resulting from the -present invention.

The princi 211 utility of the present invention is the en anced beauty of the composite gern, but a necessary ineident of the presence of the fillers er spacers S is the saving in cost of the1r number made possible by the employment of spacers S resulting in increased diffu gems 199 on account cf the reductioxi of' sion of the 'gems. Thus, instead cf, sey, one hundred em fragments in the composite gem prior to t e present inVention, there will be, sey, forty spacers S und only sixty small gems 199, and there will be a seving of forty per cent in gern cost. This permits eithe'r a reduced cost of the composite gern er else the use of much bett'er gems er opals, such as selected opals Which reflect most brilliant colors of greens, blues, pinks and reds.

The reason for the enhanced beauty provided by the present invention is not merely or necesserily that more opal surfaces; are presented t0 view es the result of employing invisible spacers S. It may be, even with novel specers S, that the eggregete opal sur-' face exposedto view is no greater than heretofore. The point of value is that spacers S,

whether er riet gems 199 ere in motion, permit the exposure to view of surfaces of those opel fragments which oecupy ositions in the interior of the g'em roup, W ich opals but for spacers S would e concealed from view by opals et the exterior ortions 0:c' the group thereby intervening in t e line of vision, und

such increased gern visibility predominates over a 10W degree of visibility of the eXterior outlines of the transparent spacers, Which specer-visibility may exist harmlessly in lese superior forms of the invention. In this respect, the trunsparency of gless spacers S is of greater moment than their invisibility in li uid 15A, beceuse a spacer S in effect is s1ibstituted for a usually opaque gern such as an opal, so that an Opel behind such a spacer is visible through the transparent spacer. Thus the invent1on includes spacers which are transparent to a suflicient degree, even if they should be more or less visible in the liquid due t'o a combination of liquid and spacers which would not result in absolute invisibility of the spacexs. However the invisibility in liquid of the spacers S 1s valuable and preferable in that they then therefore reflecting surfaces of ovale 199 und paiticularly 0f mobile opals) in the central poi tions of the gem-group.

Liquid 15A plays a part in the preferred forms of the invention in connection with' spacers S, in that the liquid itself is e means which causes separation of gems 199 from one another when thegems are arranged to be mobile in the liquid; und when gems 199 initially are separated from one another by spacers S, und. are mobile inthe liquid, then motiori being to separate ems 199 yet further from one another. ig. 7 contrasted wit-h Fig. 4.) This showing of Fig. 7 is to be contrasted also with that cf Fig. 9, which is a section and shows only those of the gems which are in a single more or less vertical row or plane; whereas in Fig. 7 are shown all t he surfaces of the gems 199 in various planes mside the housing 14 which are made visible by means of the gern spacing, due 130 both liquid 15A and solid sgacers S when the solids are set in motion in t e liquid.

The absence cf liquid, and the presence of spacers S with gems 199, constitute a less preferred form of the invention, because spacers S even though transparent thereby would be caused to become more or less clearly visible; and genis 199, even if free to move in air o1 other gas, would not have the attractive slow mobihty which the presence of the liquid permits them, particularly when the liquid is of such viscous character as glycenne.

Glass housing 14 also playsa very important part in the present invention in connection with spacers S, when it has substantially the curvatur cf the globular form shown; for such curvature constitutes a lens which, like a spotlight, concentrates the incident light at locations in the central portions of the interior of housing 14. Transparent spacers S cxpose to view the reflecting surfaces of opals occupying positions in such central portions of the hous1ng, so that the eye of the 0bse'rver by reflected light receives the full benefit of such lens concentration and magnification of light at the foci whereat the small opals may be located.

As disclosed in my said prior application, the glycerine serves co enhance the beauty 0f the reflections from th e opal surfaces.

'While it is greatly preferred, as the most beautiful form cf the invention, to have the combined eflect of mobilit of opals 199 and also the Vision of opal surf%xces in the central portions of the housing space permitted by spacers S, yet the housing space may be filled completely with the mixture cf solids S and 199, with o1 without, but preferably with, such a liquid 15A as glycerine filling the interstices between the immovable solids for the purpose cf cnhancing the color efl'ect. If in such case no liquid 15A is used, the invention includes all forms of substantially transparent spacing means for gerns 199, which may be sufiiciently solid t0 maintain gems 199 in their positions so separated frorn one another.

The small gems or gern pieces or fragments 199 preferably are opals, because such gems ermit the greatest advantage as to beauty to Eo taken of thc invention; but other gems may be substituted for opa1s if and when desired.

Figs. 1-6 illustrate the method of manufacturing a composite gern embodying the present mvention, in the form which is gen- The upper portion W of erally preferred for the general type -of composite gern with which th invention isintended to be employed as an improvement.

In vertical section in Fig. 1 is shown a blank for the double globular housing 14114 of Fig. 4 et seq. Th1s blank is a transparent pyrex or even ordinary glass tube T with closed lower end blown or castto form the globular gern housing 14 or any desired variation of Such shape. The-th1c'kness of the wall of ger'n housing 14 may be three thirty-seconds of an inch more or lass, i. e., suflicient to produce the desired strength for resistance to exterior impacts, thereby providing greater strength for the composite gern than ordinary opal gems which are ragile as well known. In fact, the jewel herein described may be flung around a room without injury to the gern.

As shown in Fig. 2, the small solids 199 and. S next are dropped down into gem-housing 14 through the open top end cf tube T. this tube is to be wasted in process.

In Fig. 2, the opals 199 are shown in a comp act group at the bottom of housing 14, and the pyrex glass spacers S are shown on top of them, the assurnption being that these pieces have been dropped into the housing in that order of succession. But this is immaterial because later on, after the glycerine 15A has been placed in housing 14 and after the completed composite gern has been subjected to motion, the respective solids S and'l99 Will becorne intermingled 110 cause the desired substantially uniform spacing of gems 199. Spacers S are shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3 because they are there visible, the liquid cf like refractive index not having yet been put in glace in the housing.

Ncxt, as s 0wn in Fig. 3, tube T is heated around its circumference D at a location not far above t.he top leve'l cf the internal solid pieces S, such heating being continued until the glass of tube T is soft. Then such soft perifery 013 the. tube is pinched inwardly to form small internal Passage N (inside neck or shoulder D), such passage N being of the desireddiam'eter to prevent passage of air bubble B (Fig. 4) to the interior 0f gemhousing 14 as disclosed in detail in my said co-pending application. Next, the tube T is heated at the higher circumference X (Fig. 3) and the waste portion W of the tube above perifery X is pulled out While the glass is soft at X and then broken ofi to form bubblehousing 144 (Fig. 4).

This pu lling out of the upper'end W of tube T (Fig. 3) results in a tube of small diameter and short length (not shown) which is broken ofi at Z (Fig. 4) to leave a small Opening to permit filling the housing with liquid 15A. Then after the insertion of liquid 15A, housing 144 is sealed oif, either at Y (Fig. 5) to close opening Z (Fig. 4) or at any other point.

Glycerine 15A is filled,say, up to level 15 (Figs. 4 und 5), o1 otherwise, so that air s1'mce B will exist t0 permit expansion of the liquid without injury to the glass housing; this bubble being located in small u per housing 14 where it can be conceale by jewel setting 12 0f Fig. 6, and the bubb1e B bring retained in upper housing 144 by reason of the constricted Portion of the main housing at N. The glycerine issubstantially transparent und colorless, und is viscous to perrnit the desired slow movement of opals 199. The high reifractive index of the lycerine servos t.o bring out, emphasize an? make 1nore brilliant the colors reflected from the opal surfaces. Other -liquids may be used, however, such as an aqueons solution of borotungstate of cadmium; preferably with transparent spacers S having substant1ally the same refractive index. In the figres beginning with Fig. 4, wherein glycerine 15A is present, the pyrex glass spacers S are no longer visible, because the glycerine has wetted them; and for this reason they are not shown in any of the remaining figures save in dotted 1ines in Fig. 8, und by their letter S (F igs. 5-6) leading to spaces between gems 199, which s'paces are occupied by the invisible spacers. In Figs. 3-4 the locations' of parts S and 199 indicate 1ack of movements as yet resulting in intermingling; gems 199 yet lying in a compact group at the bottom as in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 5, the operation of s'ealing-off has been accompanied by various movements of the composite gern as a whole, and these have caused the intermingling of invisible spacers S (shown in Figs. 23 as on top 0f opals 199) with the sn1a1l opals 199, so that, as shown in Fig. 5, although gems 199 are shown as having .reached a stete of rest after their movements comrningling them with spacers S, yet the over-all volume of the v gern group as a stationary group has been increased by the s acin a art of the individual gems by the P g P interm1ngling therewith of spacers S. As is shown by a comparison of Figs. 2 and 5, there has not been any a ctual increa se of: the volume occupied by the static group o1 both kinds of solids S and 199; but in Fig. 5 the volume occupied by the visible and spacedapart static gems 199 is greater than that occupied by the Same gems when, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, they are not spaced apart by solids S. This inorease in over-all volume occupied by gems 199, when separatedby spacers S, and even when gems 199 are static, isshown most clear1y by a comparison of Figs. 4 and 5. And this larger volume of Fig. 5 occupied by the gern group is further increased b liquid separation of' gems 199, as indicate in Fig. 7, when the solids are set in motion and before they may have set- 3, that Sm'all gems 199 themselves may not occ upy the greater proportion of the space 1ns1de housing 14,'a considerable proportion of that space being occupied by liquid 15A\ (Fig. 4) m order to permit mobility of gems 199, and another conside1able proportion of that space being occupied by spacers S (Figs. 2, 3 s nd 8). For even when gems 199 are at rest, as in Fig. 5, the presence of spacers S increases the over-all volume occupied by the visible gems 199; und when gems 199 a.re in motion as indicated by the condition shown in Fig. 7, this over-a1l volume of the gem group is yet further increesed so as to reduce to a minimum any impression of a portion of housing 14 not occupied b small gems und therefor'e contrasting with t e portion thre0f occupied by ehe gem-group. In Figs 2 and 7 is shown the fact that the sma1l gems l99are suflicient in number 't0 fi1l housing 14 from side t0 side and extenda substantial distance in the direction of gravity therein, (vertically in a endant jewel) so as to oause the visual impression of substantially 'a unitary gem so far as is possible m view of the fact that part of the hou sing sp'ace is filled with liquid alone in order to permit mobility o1: gems 199. In Fig. 5, after invisible solids 15 ha ve become intermingled with gems 199, the result of the increase in over-all volume occu ied by the gems results in decreasing the w olly transparent parts of the housin seen es not oocupied by the small gems. nd, as shown in F1g. 7, where small. gems harre risen -higher than in the static condition of Fig. 5, such wholly transparent porti0n of the composite gern at the up er portion of housingl4 is yet further re uced by the increase in volume occupied by the gems when in moti0n, and at such time separted from one another both by the liquid 15A and by the invisible spacers S, all with the result of reducing to the minimum any seeming departure from a unitary everall composite gern.

Even when opals 199 are static as in Fig.

5. the invisible spacers S serve to"enhance the beauty of the composite' am by exposing to view in the spots of inci ent light at the foci of the lenses 0f the curved portions of globular housing 14:, the reflecting surfaces between moving small gems, as indi0ated in Fig. 7, them the eflect is optimum, ex osing to view additional opal surfaces at t e foci of the lenses of the housing; because the initial spacing by solids S under static con ditions is increased by the spacing of the liquid between solids 199 when the latter are further separated from one anothei as the result of their motion in the liquid.

Thus the invention is advantageous (in additi'on to the incidental economy of gern pieces), both in increasing the visual i mpression of a unitary over-all gern and in mereasing the brilliancy of appearance by exposing to view more opal surfaces in the iny terior of the opal-group at the foci of the housing lenses.

The composite gern in the completed condition of Fig. 5 is ready to receive the setting 12 of Fig. 6, this setting being preferabl cf noble metal es gold, platinum or the ike, and being seoured to bubble housing 144 by jewelers cement M, the setting thereby concealing sealing-ofl protuberance Y as well as the contrasting efi'ect otherwise visible and due to theliquid level 15 in bubble liousing 144.

The principal advantages of my composite real gern er opal, in addition to the advantages of spacers-S above described, but particularly including the latter, are that it is a cheaper, strenger (less fragile) and more beautiful gern than a single unit of the same gern material of the same size as the composite gern.

Various terms in the claims, as glass, transparent, opal and glycerine etc. are used a3 limitations but are intended to include substantial equi-valents in all cases of corresponding patentable novelt and utility; for example, some claims im: uding the Word opal may be patentable by virtue of such precise limitation, but the patentability of sonne claims using the Word may be suflicient to warrant its construction to include other gern material. Various features of the invention may be employed without a liquid or in combination with features other than those disclosed herein.

The liquid 15A may be oil of cedar, in which case spacers S will be substantially invisible 'if made of ordinary glass.

I particularly point out and distinctly elaim the part, improvement, or eon1bination Which I clairn as my invention er discovery, as follows l. The improvement in a composite gem of the type comprising a group of a multiplicity of small gems immersed and movable in a substantially transparent liquid in a substantially transparent housing wherein the liquid spaces apart the small gems when they are set in motion therein, said improvement consisting of a plurality of substantially transparent spacing pieces intermingled with 3. The improvement in a composite gern of the type eom'prising a multiplicity of substantiall opaque small gems arranged in substant1ally a globular group and sufliciently close together to 'give an appearance of continuity as of unitary gern, the improvement consisting of substantially transparent solid mearis located between adjacent individuals of the small gems in the group and substantially spacing them apart. 4. The method of improving the reflectivity of a composite opal of the type comprisin a multiplicity of small opals immerse and mobile in a bod of substantially transparent liquid in a su stantially transarent housing, com rising interposing and 1ntermixing w1th sai tial quantity of transluc nt particles having substantially the same index of refraction es the material of the housing, and introducing into the housing a liquid having a refractive index of the same order as that of the housing and the spacing particles.

HORACE H. VVELCH.

small opals a substan- 

